13 Best Bars in Downtown and Koreatown, Los Angeles

Craft cocktails, beers on tap, an outdoor smoking patio, and retro video games—this bar in the heart of Downtown is not to be missed. With one of the oldest liquor licenses in Los Angeles (issued in 1905), the Golden Gopher is the only bar in Los Angeles with an on-site liquor store for to-go orders—just in case you want to buy another bottle before you head home.

This super-kitschy nautical-theme bar in the heart of Koreatown offers drink specials and food at prices that will make you swoon. Come for the wings, all-day breakfast specials, cheap drinks, and very eclectic crowds.

Catch a lineup of indie tastemakers inside this converted industrial space, or hang outdoors in the beer garden while trying bites from on-site food truck KTCHN (on cooler evenings you can congregate around the firepits). A wide variety of draft beers and a specially curated cocktail program are available inside at the bar or at the trailer bar outside.

The hunting lodge vibe makes you feel like you need a whiskey in hand—luckily, this Downtown establishment stocks more than 700 of them. Attracting whiskey novices and connoisseurs, the bartenders here are more than willing to help you make a selection. Live jazz, blues, folk, and other bands play almost every night, so even if you're not a big drinker, there's still some appeal (although you're definitely missing out). For a more intimate setting, try the on-site Bar Jackalope, a bar within a bar, which has a "whiskey tasting library" specializing in Japanese varieties and seats only 18.

Karaoke every night, yes you heard that right, every night. Cafe Brass Monkey is K-town dive bar royalty, a perfect place to belt out your ballads without fear of the judgment you might find in snootier spots. The ambience is relaxed and the food is bar style. If you’re looking to sing, be prepared to wait your turn as the line to perform can get lengthy. Sprinkled in with tried-and-true regulars, celebrities looking to have a good ol’ fashioned sing-along filter through Cafe Brass Monkey from time to time. The wall features photos of famous friends of the Monkey like Adam Levine, Seth Macfarlane, and Chelsea Handler. Parking is free after 5 pm with a validation, but the glory of knowing you hit the high note is priceless.

Part marketplace, part bazaar of bars, part curio museum, Clifton’s Republic is a wild, weird, and glorious establishment. Enter the ground floor and you’ll find an indoor forest and a whole lot of grub. Upstairs is a maze of bars, dance floors, and intimate corners.

Step through the curtained entrance and back in time to 1970s Korea at Dan Sung Sa, which gained wider popularity after Anthony Bourdain paid a visit. At this quirky time-capsule bar, wood-block menus feature roughly 100 small eats. You’ll see much that looks familiar, but fortune favors the bold. Take a chance on corn cheese, or try the makgeolli: a boozy Korean rice drink you sip from a bowl. It pairs perfectly with good conversation and snacking all night long.

This dive bar may not look like much, but it more than makes up for it with an interesting mix of barflies, urban hipsters, and reasonable drink prices. Friday and Saturday night, DJs mix Top 40 hits and a tiny dance floor packs in the crowd. For those more interested in drinking and socializing, head to the back patio where a TV plays local sports. Every day has a differently themed happy hour—Tropico Tuesday or Cumbia Fever on Thursday. Specials vary from inexpensive beers to free pizza.

Home to one of the best Italian liqueur collections in the city, The Let's Go is DTLA's newest, and most fun, cocktail bar and dance spot. The space is attached to (and co-owned by) the standout pizza joint De La Nonna, and is the perfect after-dinner spot to drink well-crafted Italian cocktails and dance like the pandemic never happened. Behind the bar is Lee Zaremba, whose cocktail bona fides include opening the legendary Italian drinks spot Billy Sunday in Chicago. Here, you'll find rare amari, superbitter fernets, challenging Italian vermouths, and so many more that are whipped into the tastiest cocktails in the city.

Lovers of T. S. Eliot and vinyl will find themselves instantly at home inside this cozy establishment named after Eliot’s “The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock.” When not pouring drinks, bartenders often act as DJs, playing records (the best of the ’60s through the ’80s) in their entirety. As it’s housed inside the Regent Theater, the cozy nature of the place can be disrupted when there’s a concert scheduled. For those with an appetite, fantastic food can be ordered from the pizza parlor next door—naturally, it’s called Prufrock’s.

With a reputation for great takes on classic cocktails and even better conversation among patrons, this dimly lit haunt is a fantastic place to mingle. Tucked inside the Normandie Hotel, the lounge is a party without the affection for chaos afforded by other late-night spots. The menu features a slew of old standards, but mixologists are eager to play: they'll ask you what the mood is and mix a drink to match. The cocktails are seriously good, and the ambience is comforting yet classy. Plus, if you’re looking to dance off a well-made whiskey sour, you don’t have to go far, as The Normandie Club houses “damn fine” in back, a live-DJ dance party Thursday, Friday, and Saturday nights from 9 pm--2 am.

Mad Men and New Girl both had multiple scenes filmed in this Old Hollywood relic, which dates back to the early 1900s. The Prince is trimmed with vintage fabric wallpaper and bedecked with a stately mahogany bar; the grand piano waits in the wings. Squire lamps punctuate red-leather booths where you can enjoy Korean fare and standard cocktails, wine, and beer. Whatever you do, get the deep-fried chicken.

If you're looking for a place with potent drinks and a good burger, this kitschy bar fits the bill perfectly. Known today as the "pirate bar" because of its nautical decor, the place dates back to the 1940s, when it was rumored to attract mobsters, politicians, and journalists due to its proximity to city hall, the Hall of Justice, and the original location of the Los Angeles Times. There's nightly live music, though it comes with a cover charge.